Blog Post

Monday, it was
My idea of running to the forex bureau to grab myself some Tshs came to pass
Sloped down from my usual hiding place in town
And handed over some Uganda shillings for the other ffiinnneeee currency.

Sloped down further to buy myself some boxers and shoes I needed for this trip of a lifetime
You might be wondering….why this trip?
What’s so special about this trip?
Why this month and day and time and destination?

Photo credit: scania.com

Why this trip?…. I’ve planned for this trip for a year now and if it hadn’t been for the endless inconvieniences that kept on cropping up in between, this trip should have happened in September, as I usually like it
What’s so special about this trip?… this trip marks my end of the year and the start of a new one…see, on my end, I don’t have a Christmas or new year, per se since am always at work during that time of the year….and so, I decide to go have my end of the year trip somewhere close to the end of the actual year…. Bad idea? More to that, it’s my chance during the year that I get to see my mushie bestie Ammy, that always hides all over Tanzania….

Photo credit: nationsonline.org

Why this month…. This month has seen many good things befall me…and what better way to crown it off than to make a trip to the country that boasts of the Kilimanjaro Mountain and Tanzanite!!!! The timing has never been any perfect….rainy and hot, here in Dar, as I write this…..today’s been very hot, to put it….and am hoping for some rains soon. The destination, Tanzania, is one that I fell in love with….I beg we call it a monogamous loving marriage am in, with this naaeeccchhhaaannnnnn…. Beautiful country, beautiful people and most of all, reminds me of home, which is Uganda.

Photo credit: itdp.org

Ooohhhh…. So back to my 36 hours…
I boarded a really cool bus MODERN COAST…. Shouts outs to you, guys….you rock and are my favourite people on this mission. This was about 2:35PM and off we started counting down the hours to Kampala….

Photo credit: twitter.com

Driving through downtown Kampala, to areas of Makerere and the northern bypass all the way to those ends of Namugongo… Bweyogerere side….all sleepy, hungry and excited for this trip.

All was good till we reached the Jinja office of Modern Coast….then my belly tantrums begun kicking in….me all wanting to grab something to eat and all I could look at was the dust….unbelievable, right?
We just picked up a couple of other passengers and off we were….
Kakati, what these guys didn’t explain or tell us, was that the route to be used this time, wouldn’t be the usual Busia route….instead we went the Malaba route.
Dddaaammmnnnnnnnnn….. if you’ve ever felt that stomach-crunching pain you get when the meal you’ve prepared for, so long to have, is instead taken away…like that , for lack of a better way of putting it. That’s how I felt….
Enraged, I was….but something always happens even in the worst of situations, right?
On reaching the Malaba station, there was what you can call an OSBP or a One Stop Border Point. With this one, you needn’t cross two border ends just to have your papers signed and stamped….all of that is done in one point and quite fast, I must say.

Photo credit: twomonkeys.in

Off we were to Kenyaland….as I call it. I must have slept off for some good time because all I remember was that I woke up, already in Kenya and more specifically, Nakuru. Cold as it was, I just sprung out of my sleep, really dazed, still hungry but from here on out, I felt I could handle the rest of the way to either Nairobi or Namanga, where I could grab a bite.

Photo credit: Peter Gostelow

Nairobi to me, was just a point where I changed buses to another, headed to my final destination. Namanga is where I made up my mind, to grab something to eat and I did so.
Some chipsi – chapatti and I was sorted. Mark you, this is about 9:30 AM, Tuesday, with over 10 hours left before I can put my head down to rest.
Check into another OSBP at Namanga and off we were for Tanzania. The journey from here on out, was quite smooth all the way to Moshi when I had my first full meal…. If you know what I mean, yeah?

Photo credit: thespruce.com

Some rice and beef, in my belly washed down with a Sprite….I was good to go. Proceeding to the final stretch of the 36 hour journey to get to Dar-es-Salaam, we went on and fortunately, I made it at 11, in the PM. This last stretch was one that felt never-ending….all the stops and bumps and humps and checkpoints….mmeeehhhhnnnnnnn….. I think it’s high time I considered changing the means I use to get to my favourite destination …. DON’T YOU THINK?

So, after getting lost around, making my way to Sapphire Court Hotel, in Kariako, where am staying now, am finally here…..
Damn, it’s been a whole day and a half….can you imagine I’ve got to go through that again, in less than 3 days from now?

Always laughing, living, loving and thinking about food. I'm so deeply concerned about health, young people, food and psychology.
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